VALLEJO -- A house fire Sunday morning in Vallejo claimed the lives of two elderly residents, authorities said.

The blaze erupted before 10:54 a.m. in a single-family home at 307 Ladera Drive. Firefighters arrived to find smoke and flames pouring from the front of the house, Vallejo fire officials said, as neighbors tried to fight back with a garden hose.

Neighbors feared that the home's two residents were inside, and firefighters forced their way through a security door to search the building.

They found an 89-year-old woman in the living room and an 81-year-old man in the dining room, officials said. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.